COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 3724

Aircraft Engines and Engine Parts

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

15companies1911–1989founding years14still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedGroupe Dassault Aviation SA
1911
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAllison Gas Turbine Division
1915
FoundedAlliedSignal Inc.FoundedTextron Lycoming Turbine Engine
1920
FoundedPratt & Whitney
1925
FoundedSundstrand Corporation
1926
1927
TechnologyLindbergh flies the Atlantic solo, and aviation captures the public.
FoundedRockwell International Corporation
1928
FoundedAllied Signal Engines
1936
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedRohr Incorporated
1940
FoundedGE Aircraft Engines
1941
FoundedKaman Corp.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedMoog Inc.
1951
FoundedPrecision Castparts Corp.
1956
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMcDonnell Douglas Corporation
1967
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedDaimler-Benz Aerospace AG
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Groupe Dassault Aviation SA →
Active · founded 1911 · France
One of France's most important developers and producers of military aircraft, including the famed Mirage series and…
Allison Gas Turbine Division →
Active · founded 1915
The Allison Gas Turbine Division of the General Motors Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of aircraft…
AlliedSignal Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1920
AlliedSignal Inc., formed from the acquisition of Signal Companies, Inc.
Textron Lycoming Turbine Engine →
Active · founded 1920
Textron Lycoming Turbine Engine is the aircraft engine manufacturing division of Textron, Inc.
Pratt & Whitney →
Active · founded 1925
Pratt & Whitney is one of the largest aircraft engine manufacturers in the world.
Sundstrand Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
Known as a premier supplier of parts for the aircraft industry since the 1940s, Sundstrand Corporation is also a…
Rockwell International Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
One of five companies in the United States supplying the federal government with military aircraft fighters and bombers…
Allied Signal Engines →
Active · founded 1936
Allied Signal Engines evolved from the Garrett Corporation, one of the nation's leading manufacturers of aircraft power…
Rohr Incorporated →
Active · founded 1940
Rohr Incorporated is the world's leading manufacturer of aircraft engine parts, including nacelles, cowlings, pylons,…
GE Aircraft Engines →
Active · founded 1941
The GE Aircraft Engines unit of the General Electric Company is the world's leading manufacturer of aircraft propulsion…
Kaman Corp. →
Active · founded 1945
Kaman Corp.
Moog Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Moog Inc.
Precision Castparts Corp. →
Active · founded 1956
A leading manufacturer of large, complex structural investment castings for the aerospace industry, Precision Castparts…
McDonnell Douglas Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
The largest defense contractor in the United States, McDonnell Douglas Corporation is also the world's largest builder…
Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…
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